The FReeper Foxhole Remembers John Kline & The Bulge (Dec. 16-19, 1944) - July 23rd, 2003

http://home01.wxs.nl/~wijer037/JohnKl.html ^ | John Kline

[Johnny Gage]

Air Power
Heinkel HE-111

History: When World War I ended, the German Air Force was disbanded under the Treaty of Versailles, which required the German government to abandon all military aviation by October 1, 1919. However, by 1922, it was legal for Germany to design and manufacture commercial aircraft, and one of the first modern medium bombers to emerge from this process was the Heinkel He 111, the first prototype of which an enlarged, twin-engine version of the single-engine mail-liaison He 70, which set 8 world speed records in 1933 flew in February of 1935. The second prototype, the He 111 V2, had shorter wings and was the first civil transport prototype, capable of carrying 10 passengers and mail. The third prototype, He 111 V3 also had shorter wings and was the first true bomber prototype. Six He 111 C series airliners were derived from the fourth prototype, the He 111 V4, and went into service with Lufthansa in 1936, powered by a variety of engines, including BMW 132 radials. The first production models had the classic stepped windshield and an elliptical wing, which the designers, Siegfried and Walter Gunter, favored.

As a military aircraft, it took longer to gain favor, because military load requirements and underpowered engines kept its cruising speed down to less than 170 mph. However, in early 1936, the plane was given 1,000 hp Daimler Benz DB 600A engines which improved performance dramatically enough to bring in substantial orders. The first two mass-production versions, He 111 E and He 111 F experienced great success during the Spanish Civil War, where they served with the Condor Legion as fast bombers, able to outrun many of the fighters sent against them.

In fact, the experience in Spain generated a false sense of security in which the Germans thought that the He 111's light armament and speed would be sufficient in the coming war. Thus, although it was out of date, the large numbers in which it had been produced made the He 111 the Luftwaffe's primary bomber for far too long in the war, availability being more persuasive than practicality for this serviceable, but highly vulnerable, aircraft. Modern fighters like the Supermarine Spitfire and the Hawker Hurricane proved the He 111's inadequacy during the Battle of Britain. As soon as possible, the Luftwaffe replaced the Heinkel with the Junkers Ju 88, reassigning the Heinkel to night operations and other specialized tasks until, by war's end, it was being used primarily as a transport.

More than 7,300 had been built for the Luftwaffe by autumn, 1944, with another 236 (He 111H) being built by the Spanish manufacturer, CASA, during and after the war (as the CASA 2.111), some with the traditional Jumo 211 engines, some with Rolls-Royce Merlins. In service with the Luftwaffe from 1937 to 1945, the Heinkels remained in Spanish service until 1965.

One of the more bizarre adaptations of the Heinkel by the Luftwaffe was the He 111 Z-1, in which two He 111s were joined at the wing with a special section containing a fifth engine. Two prototypes and 10 production models were manufactured, their purpose being to provide the power to haul the huge Messerschmitt Me 321 transport gliders.

The sole remaining He 111 in regular use was owned by the Arizona wing of the Commemorative Air Force in the USA. It was a Spanish-built CASA 2.111D that was used to transport VIPs during the Franco regime. Unfortunately, it was destroyed in a crash in July 2003. [History by Kevin Murphy]

Specifications:(He 111H-16)
Manufacturer: Heinkel
Primary Function: Medium Bomber
Variants: He 111 B Series, E Series, H Series and P Series
Engines: Two 1,350-hp Jumo 211F-2 inverted V-12 piston engines
Crew: Four to Six (depending on variant)
Number Built: 7,300+
Number Still Airworthy: None (CASA 2.111D destroyed July 2003) *bummer!!*

Dimensions:
Weight: Empty 19,136 lbs., Max Takeoff 30,865 lbs.
Wing Span: 74ft. 1.75in.
Length: 53ft. 9.5in.
Height: 13ft. 1.25in.

Performance :
Maximum Speed at Sea Level: 227 mph
Ceiling: 21,980 ft.
Range: 745 miles

Armaments:
One 20-mm MG FF cannon;
One 13-mm (0.51-inch) MG 131 machine gun;
Three 7.92-mm (0.31-inch) MG 81Z machine guns;
Internal bomb-load of 2,205 pounds.

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Images of the HE-111Z "Zwilling". This was a merging of two HE-111's with an added fifth engine in the
center of the middle wing spar. This was designed and used as a transport glider tug.

All photos Copyright of Rod's Luftwaffe Pics

[SAMWolf]

Thanks for profiling the He-111 "Spade"

The Heinkel He-111's sleek lines mask the plane's capability and versatility as a medium bomber. This aircraft, sometimes called the "Flying Spade", was classified as a passenger/mail plane to circumvent limits imposed on German rearmament by the Treaty of Versailles. The Heinkel He-111, a rugged and dependable bomber, saw combat in support of Franco's Nationalist forces during the Spanish Civil War and later during World War II. Produced in large numbers, the He-111 operated extensively around the world for more than two decades.

The He-111 was well liked by its crews and despite its relatively light defensive armament, the He-111 was able to fend off enemy fighter attacks and return to base with heavy damage. The He-111 was also very adaptable. He-111s were used to launch V-1 "Buzz Bombs", drop paratroopers and a massive five engined variant, the He-111Z, was used to tow combat gliders.

[aomagrat]

Wednesday's weird warship, HMS Scorpion

Scorpion class ironclad turret ram
Displacement. 2750 t.
Length. 230'
Beam. 42'
Draft. 15'
Speed. 10.5 K.
Armament. 4 300pdrs

HMS Scorpion, a 2750-ton ironclad turret ship built at Birkenhead, England, was one of two sisters secretely ordered from the Laird shipyard by the Confederate government in 1862. Her true ownership was concealed by the fiction that she was being constructed as the Egyptian warship El Tousson. To have been named North Carolina upon delivery to the Confederates, she would have been superior for offshore warfare to all but one of the United States' Navy warships, and thus represented a most serious danger to the Union's control of the seas.

However, effective Federal diplomacy prevented the emergence of this threat. The British government seized the ironclad in October 1863, a few months after its launch and before it could be completed. In early 1864, she was purchased for the Royal Navy, receiving the new name Scorpion. (Part of the money received for her went into the Confederate Treasury, and helped to pay for the CSS Shenandoah.)

Commissioned in July 1865, Scorpion was assigned to the Channel Fleet until 1869, with time out for a refit that reduced her sailing rig from a bark to a schooner. In late 1869, the ironclad was sent to Bermuda for coast and harbor defense service. Scorpion remained there for over three decades before being removed from the effective list. She was sunk as a target in 1901 but raised the next year and sold in February 1903. The former HMS Scorpion was lost at sea while under tow to the United States, where she was to be scrapped.

What could have been.

[Colonel_Flagg]

It would appear, good sir, that I have a cast-iron stomach. LOL

I figured that halving the recipe in half the size pot would do. Guess it was just more concentrated!

I didn't tell anyone where I got it. And since the pot was in my office, no one needed to know. :)

[Colonel_Flagg]

That's a lot to ask .. but I would be most interested in reading the book. I'll Freepmail you if you like, with my thanks.

[SAMWolf]

She was sunk as a target in 1901 but raised the next year and sold in February 1903. The former HMS Scorpion was lost at sea while under tow to the United States, where she was to be scrapped.

She definately had a weird ending to her career.

[SAMWolf]

No it's not a lot to ask. I ordered it twice by mistake and I only need one copy. Let me know where you want it sent.

[Colonel_Flagg]

You have Freepmail. Many thanks!

[Colonel_Flagg]

It's a long one - 10 one hour episodes.

But ten of the best hours I've ever seen on television. The guys who surprised me the most were David Schwimmer as Herbert Sobel and Donnie Wahlberg as Carwood Lipton. What acting!

"Breaking Point" was the most gripping hour of television I've seen in years. What these men went through in the Bulge and the Bois Jacques was amazing.

[SAMWolf]

You're right about David Schwimmer. I had a hard time at first getting the "friends" image out of my mind.

I loved Lt. Winters. That was some great acting on Damian Lewis's part. I think he was my favorite character in the series.

[SAMWolf]

Got it. Soon as I get a box it'll be on it's way.

[U S Army EOD]

We use to download the fleschette rounds and use the little darts in slingshots to kill rats and roaches in the unit bar at night.

Lots of fun.

[Darksheare]

So, at first my coffee was okay, but then it got to you.
I've found, and this is by no means absolute, that women don't deal well with my coffee stomach wise.
Men do.
However, women get a better caffiene buzz from my coffee.
I guess that's the trade off on being able to withstand a full on hit frome my rot gut coffee?

[Darksheare]

How many people are you planning on nailing with it?
*evil grin*
Sounds like a plan to me.
I've never tried the smaller pot deal myself, yet.

[SAMWolf]

We were know to pop open a few of the M-79 Fleschette rounds to get the darts.

[Darksheare]

C'mon, don't be such a wimp.
I've never heard such fear of coffee from anyone who's ever fired an artillery piece of any kind.
*snerk*
It isn't THAT bad, besides, the coffee jitters afterwards are fun!
*chuckle*
*Outright laughter*

Okay, there are people who are slightly sensitive to my coffee.

[Victoria Delsoul]

Hello everybody.

"I remember one day being convinced that I could see a vehicle, in the woods, several hundred yards down the hill. The contours of the hill and the thick forest were playing games with my imagination. When I looked at it from another vantage point, the illusion disappeared. There was one rifleman to the left of my bunker. He was entrenched in a log covered foxhole. According to members of the patrols, this rifleman was the last person between my machine gun emplacement and the 422nd Regiment."

[SAMWolf]

Good Evening Victoria. I have that game!

The game engine translated very well into some great Civil War games. (Gettysburg, Antietam, Bull Run and Shiloh)

[snippy_about_it]

Rot gut, that's it! LOL.

Don't fret over it, at least I tried it. :)

[Darksheare]

Tried it, then had an energy rush that rubbed off like evil static electricity.
*chuckle*
I do think the rot gut part of it can be tamed slightly, but I haven't yet perfected that.
Not that I personally have tried all that hard to tame it.